Instinct (59 page)
Authors: Ike Hamill
Tags: #Literature & Fiction, #Genre Fiction, #Horror, #Science Fiction & Fantasy, #Science Fiction, #Alien Invasion, #Post-Apocalyptic
Cedric pulled his ears back and approached with his tail wagging furiously. He sniffed at the little puppy.
“You want to hold him?” Tim asked. He held out the puppy. The little pup looked up at Robby and then closed his eyes. He fell asleep against Robby’s chest.
“They’re almost weaned,” Tim said.
“Where did he come from?” Robby asked.
Ty laughed. “Didn’t they teach you anything in school?”
“No, I mean, where’s the mother?”
“She’s inside. Nursing is tiring. She’s taking a nap,” Tim said. “I was flying over Massachusetts when I saw a guy out walking a dog. I couldn’t land fast enough. I thought Cedric would lose his mind as soon as I shut off the engine. He was so happy to see another dog, it looked like his tail would wag right off. I started talking to Matthew, and it turned out he was a veterinarian. The dog wasn’t even his, it was one of his patients. She was a champion show dog who turned out to be infertile. Just by dumb luck, they both survived and they were just living out in the wilds of western Mass.”
“But she was infertile?”
“She was,” Ty said. “She’s not anymore.”
Tim laughed and continued the story. “Well… She’s fertile with some help from the doctor. Turns out Cedric here has a very low sperm count. But, with Dr. Matthew’s magic process, he managed to knock little Wickett up.”
“Wickett?” Robby asked.
“The mom,” Ty said.
“They’re staying here now,” Tim said. “He’s up at the farm, looking at the horses. We’re going to breed another litter next year.”
Robby was already thinking about the implications. “So he thinks…”
“He’s willing to try it on people, but we’ll let nature take its course for a while before we try. It could be that people won’t need any help,” Ty said. “The body can change based on environmental pressure. You never know what will spark fertility. It could be that some of us were only infertile because we lacked the right environment to be fertile.”
Robby chewed his lip. He looked down at the little puppy and smiled.
“You can’t take him on a motorcycle,” Ty said. “You’re going to have to find a car.”
“What?” Robby asked. He looked between Ty and Tim. They were both smiling.
“One of the pups is promised to me, and I’m offering him to you,” Ty said. “He’ll be weaned in a few days, but I’m not letting you ride him around on the back of a motorcycle.”
“Are you serious?” Robby asked. “Thank you so much. I can’t believe it! Can I take him back to Connecticut?”
“Can you promise me something in return?” Ty asked.
“Anything,” Robby said.
“Try to find us another dog, but be careful,” Ty said. “There have to be more. Somebody must have a dog around there somewhere. Stay safe, but see if you can find us another dog.”
Robby nodded.
“I’ll try,” Robby said.
“Come on,” Tim said. “Let’s get him back to his brothers and sisters. You’ll have to stay here for a few days until they’re weaned.”
“And you’ll have to learn how to give him the shots he’ll need when he’s older,” Ty said.
The puppy opened his eyes again when Robby stood up. His eyes were dark and concerned when he first looked at Robby, but then his tiny mouth opened into a panting smile. Robby smiled back and scratched his head.
“Do you have a name picked out?” Ty asked.
Robby didn’t hesitate. “My dad’s middle name was Gordon. I’ll call him Gordie.”
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Ike Hamill
Topsham, Maine
June, 2014
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About
Instinct
Thank you for reading
Instinct
. I hope you enjoyed the story as much as I did when I was writing it. Many people have expressed that they really felt a connection with Robby and Brad, and they wanted to know more about their fate. I hope this book gave you a clear picture of where they stand. Their world is in transition, but our friends have found a home.
I think I mentioned the inspiration for these characters at the end of
Extinct
, but here’s a quick summary if you’re interested. I wanted to write a book about a person isolated in a snow storm, and I wanted to write about kid who’s both charismatic and Sherlock Holmes smart. When I combined those two ideas, these books popped out. This book was fun because I got to share more of my ideas about the strange phenomenon we encountered in
Extinct
, and some of those unexplained things finally had some light shed on them.
This is the second sequel I’ve written (
Blood Ghost
followed
Hunting Tree
), and I find process very different than writing a new book. There were lots of personalities and relationships that I needed to reacquaint myself with. Characters who grew in
Extinct
continued their journey. Some new characters gave me a fresh perspective on their world. As always, I had a pretty clear idea where everyone would begin, but no idea at all where they would end up.
Please let me know what you think of this book. I’m happy to answer any questions, comments, and complaints, at
Extinct
and
Instinct
are available in both paperback and eBook, and both formats are easy to share.
Read on for blurbs about my other books, and sign up for my mailing list on
-Ike Hamill
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